11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. 12 When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. 13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword. (Exodus 17:11 – 13, New International Version)
Theme: The Wisdom of Discipline
Title: Discipline and Dependency
Reflection:
When we are grappling with issues related to discipline it is sometimes easy to dismiss the value of depending on each other. However, we were created to live in community. In Genesis 2:18, we see the creation of woman so man would not be alone. Ecclesiastes 4:12 points out that three are stronger than one or two. In Mark 6:7, Jesus sent the disciples out in groups of two. In our Scripture passage today, we see the value of Aaron and Hur to Moses when he grew tired. Even as an introvert I find it beneficial, even imperative, to partner with others in my disciplined faith walk.
I come from a large family and have a core group of girlfriends, so I have the privilege of asking 2 or 3 to pray for me, hold me accountable or offer encouragement, so I can remain disciplined in a particular area. There are times they reach out to me to offer help or invite me to do the same for them. I find strength in this partnering.
Conclusion:
Discipline is best pursued in community. Who can you be an Aaron/Hur to today? Who can be an Aaron/Hur to you? Take time to pray for wisdom in this area and ask the Lord to show you an area of discipline you need increased accountability for or encouragement in. How have you benefitted from partnership with other Christians? I would love to hear from you.
Contributor: Bridget Jeffries